Has to be the best rust remover

[Big G]

Last night I made up a mixture of half white vinegar and water and placed this surface rusted piece of panel steel with one end in the mix.
This was after 10 hours with a rub of a broom to remove loose particles Total cost, $!2.00 for 10 litres but as you do ????? I dropped a corner into the plastic sheet and put a hole in it thus leaking most of the solution.

[Maffra]

Hi Glynn,

That is a good result with the vinegar Have you tried Citric acid at all ? I used it recently with excellent results and with a number of panels going through the mix. Takes about 2 to 3 days but for me it worked out at about $0.55 for 10 litres.

Regards

[38Chevy454]

Any acid will remove rust. Some are better and less aggressive. Vinegar (active acid part is acetic acid) is fairly mild, but also safer. Same with citric as mentioned. Another good one is oxalic acid (sometimes called wood bleach) or phosphoric acid. Phosphoric is good in that it can leave a thin iron phosphate layer on the surface which is good for adhesion. Swimming pool acid (called muriatic, but is just diluted hydrochloric) is cheap and strong, make sure to dilute it well. Always pour acid into water, not water into acid. Important that whatever acid you use be careful with the stronger ones, not trying to be a safety nanny, but seems that basic PPE can go a long way. Also be sure to rinse the part really good and dry it after you are done as it will flash rust real quick.

The basic chemical reaction is H+ ions in the acid react with the neg charged oxide part of the iron oxide,forming water, which leaves the acid weaker as the H+ is used up. The Fe+ part of the iron oxide is then dissolved into the solution. End result is the iron oxide is removed from the iron metal.

[Big G]

I just got back to the peice in the pic, it has a film of rust on it, I rinsed it with water when I left it but have now washed it in soapy water which should nuteralise the vinegar.

[olfrt]

I just tried this out. I mixed a batch up in a 20 litre plastic drum I cut lengthwise and only 100 mm deep. I put some rusty panel steel in and just watched for a while. Some small bubbles appeared on the edge so I knew something was happening. After about 5 minutes I got some steelwool and started rubbing away. It was instantaneous. Shiny metal. I wiped it off on an old towel and sprayed it with CRC. It does make you yearn for fish and chips though.

[KustomKulture62]

I'm a believer to, last week I poured 12 liters of the White Vinegar into a large plastic storage container and gave the parts a soaking for a couple of days and then gave the parts a good water blasting.
When doing the blasting all the rust and even the paint just washes right off leaving a totally rush free finish. I found the parts flash rust really fast so once dried completely and rubbed over with a scour pad I under coated straight away.

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